Four days of NJ Family Cycling Fun on the first weekend of National Bike Month, May 4-7

Get everyone in the family off the couch and on their bikes this weekend!

Here's just a small selection of the
many family-friendly choices you have to participate in National Bike Month –
that's May to any non-wheeled persons reading this.

For a longer list, see the ever-expanding
May
Cycling Events listing. And if you
know of any events not already listed here, or just have more information to
share, please let everyone else know what it is by adding it the comment fields
below.

Friday, May 4

The Netcong PTA Bike
Rodeo will
be held from3:00 –
6:00 pm in the back lot of
theNetcong Elementary
School. Bring your
(kid's) bike and helmet, and send them through several safety check stations to
learn all about biking safely. For more info, contact Leigh Ann at leighannvhp@gmail.com.

Saturday, May 5

The Hudson County Transportation
Management Association (TMA) will
be collecting your unwanted bikes so that they can fix them up and find a new
home for them. This your opportunity not only to get rid of an unused or
outgrown bicycle, but to help others by giving your sad and lonely bike a happy
life with someone else. From 9:00
am – 1:00 pm the TMA will be
at two locations: JCIA in Jersey City Route 440, and DPW in Kearny,
357 Bergen Avenue. They'll take your used (but not abused) bicycle and rehab it
back into safe working condition. The revamped bicycle will then be given to an
adult who can use it to bike to work. Note that this program is for adult bikes
only. The donor bike must in generally good working condition with no bent rims
or frames, no rust, and no missing parts. For more information on the program,
please call the Hudson TMA at 201-792-2825

Gloucester Township Police will host the Second Annual Bike Safety Rodeo as part of Bicycle Safety Month. Held
from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at Gloucester Township Community Park,
at Peter Cheeseman and Hickstown roads, the event provides an opportunity for
bicyclists to practice and develop skills to keep them safer and avoid typical
crashes, police said. The rodeo allows participants to demonstrate bike
handling skills in a fun, noncompetitive environment, said police. Riders will
have their bicycles and helmets inspected at the event. For more information,
contact the police department's Community Relations Bureau by phone at 856-228-4011 or by email
at communityrelations@gtpolice.com.

The Brake the Hunger Cycle Tour bike event is one of the largest charity bike events in
northern New Jersey. This is a full day offering a choice of routes for
all fitness and ability levels. Take your choice from five routes ranging from
the family-oriented 4-mile and 12-mile tours to the 25-mile, 40-mile and
62-mile "metric century" routes, all through scenic Morris County.
Proceeds from the event are split evenly between the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, and the United Nations charities for building clean water
sources in Africa. All rides begin and end at the St. David's Episcopal Church parking lot, at 91 Kinnelon Road, Kinnelon, NJ 07405.
Ride check-ins are from 7:30 am to 9:30 am, according to the route chosen. The
event will be run come rain or shine. Riders twelve years of age and
under must ride alongside an accompanying adult. All participants must
wear helmets throughout the ride. See hungercycletour.com for more
details including how to
register.

Sunday, May 6

The Delaware & Raritan
Canal Watch will hold a free
history tour by bicycle along
the D&R Canal between Griggstown and Kingston.
Cyclists will meet 10:00 am at the canal's Griggstown parking lot along the
Griggstown Causeway in Franklin Township for the 10-mile round-trip ride. Canal
Watch board member Bob Barth will conduct the ride, which will stop at historic
canal structures, such as locks, spillways and canal houses. He will explain
why the D&R was one of the most successful canals in the United States.
Helmets are required and cyclists are advised to bring water. The nonprofit D
& R Canal Watch helps promote, enhance and preserve the Delaware &
Raritan Canal State Park. For further information and weather-related updates,
contact Bob Barth at 201-401-3121 or barths@att.net.

The 2012 Go the Distance for
Autismdistance
cycling fund-raiserevent
has several low-mile rides that are family friendly – gentle rides for a day of
fun and togetherness while helping a great cause. Starting from Bergen Community College in Paramus,
there's a 10-mile ride, a family fun ride, and a self-contained kid's ride for
very young (6 and under) riders. For more details, see the event website.

Monday, May 7

Every Monday evening at 5:00
pm the Women's Beginner-Intermediate MTB Ride – the WEMOB --
leaves from the Sunrise Lake Parking Lot at Lewis Morris Park. Join
them for a fun, social, non-competitive all women's ride through the hills of
the park. Here's your opportunity to get into the fit sport of mountain biking
- laugh, make new friends and get a great workout! No drop ride.
Beginners ages 12 and up are welcome. Plan on arriving at 4:45 pm. Lewis
Morris is not very rocky, but it is relatively hilly. The pace will be slow to
medium, and no one will be left behind. You must wear a helmet on this
ride, and you must have a mountain bike. If you do not have a mountain bike,
call Marty's Reliable Cycles and they can
get you onto one of their rental mountain bikes. Bring at least 1L of water to
keep hydrated. Contact Connie, the ride leader, at myriverpath@gmail.com with any
questions.